Recuperating

[Christine Leneghan]

I am healing from a broken ankle ten days ago and surgery four days ago. I know this will be a long journey. My daughters and I did the French way in 2018 and Portuguese Coastal in 2019. We were planning on returning in 2022 for a third, but might have to further postpone for me to regain strength, etc… I would very much appreciate any suggestions, stories, encouragement on dealing with this. Thanks to all on this forum for keeping my spirits lifted and hope alive!

 

[linkster]

I broke my left ankle years ago waterskiing. My back foot slipped out of my high wraps on my slalom ski and I snapped my ankle. I had 2 pins put in and then taken out about 6 months later. I had a cast for about 6 weeks after the first surgery. Then rehab for about 6 weeks. Now, my left ankle is larger and stronger than my right ankle.

Be patient with yourself during the healing process.

 

[Anniesantiago]

Heal quickly!
I know how health issues can interfere and distress you.
The Camino will be there, as others told me...

 

[mspath]

I am healing from a broken ankle ten days ago and surgery four days ago. I know this will be a long journey. My daughters and I did the French way in 2018 and Portuguese Coastal in 2019. We were planning on returning in 2022 for a third, but might have to further postpone for me to regain strength, etc… I would very much appreciate any suggestions, stories, encouragement on dealing with this. Thanks to all on this forum for keeping my spirits lifted and hope alive!

Christine Leneghan,
I am sorry to learn of your accident and hope that your recovery will be as short and comfortable as possible.
Perhaps to begin you might choose a book or two from the long Forum list of books about the camino or other great trails. Another possibility would be to attend the on line Forum discussions. Be sure to also add your thoughts to current comments regarding the French way and the Portuguese Coastal which you and your daughters recently walked.

Do try to relax and "let it be" as you appreciate daily small pleasures and family joys. Time will pass and new possibilities arise.

Carpe diem and, in the truest sense, Ultreia.

 

[Bill's_Walking]

Wishing you the best and find the best rehab you can. My father had both his hips replaced, and for the second replacement he had a much better rehab and was fully mobile weeks earlier than he was with the first.

 

[Albertagirl]

I had knee replacement surgery in October of 2020. Six months ago, my orthopedic surgeon examined my knee and told me I could do whatever I wanted to do. I thought, "Well, that gives me lots of leeway." So I told him that I was going to Spain to walk a 1300 km pilgrim route. He seemed unimpressed. You will be advised to check with your surgeon, or the clinic nurse, when you can start physiotherapy and ask to be referred to a physiotherapist. The rest is just hard work and patience.
I am flying to Spain on September 9 and beginning to walk the Camino de Levante from Valencia to Santiago on Sept. 12. Pick yourself a dream camino and start planning. It will motivate your exercise and help you hope when challenges arise. Buen camino!

 

[t2andreo]

I am healing from a broken ankle ten days ago and surgery four days ago. I know this will be a long journey. My daughters and I did the French way in 2018 and Portuguese Coastal in 2019. We were planning on returning in 2022 for a third, but might have to further postpone for me to regain strength, etc… I would very much appreciate any suggestions, stories, encouragement on dealing with this. Thanks to all on this forum for keeping my spirits lifted and hope alive!

Christine:

I, too, recently survived a very serious abdominal infection (acute necrotizing pancreatitis) as a consequence of having my gall bladder removed in early February. My survival was actually in doubt for a short time, as I progressed through several courses of IB antibiotics while an inpatient in hospital - four times.

From March through now, I have been recovering. Over that time, as soon as I was mentally and physically able to focus on anything, I returned to doing research on the Camino. Planning your next pilgrimage foray is the best mental cure for being sidelined. Having something to look forward to is an excellent curative. It increases your motivation.

This forum is an excellent place to resolve questions and problems you might face. Many times, I find the Forum provides hints for additional interest research. For example, You Tube is a valuable place to spend time too. Many times, videos will be referenced in this Forum.

I read through the Forum, keeping current on issues and concerns. This was very important during a time of pandemic, as things changed fast.

Also, I read four Spanish newspapers daily:

El Correo Gallego (Galicia and Santiago) - https://www.elcorreogallego.es/santiago
La Voz de Galicia (Galicia and Santiago) - https://www.lavozdegalicia.es/santiago/
El Mundo (National) - https://www.elmundo.es/
El Pais (National) - https://elpais.com/

As I use Chrome as my browser, pages in Spanish are automatically translated.

I also keep current by reading The Local - Spain (https://www.thelocal.es/). This is focused mostly on the ex-pat community, but provides a lot of useful information that might not appear elsewhere.

Finally, I have been using www.Duolingo.com to self-teach myself Spanish for 1300 continuous days with no interruption, even while I was in hospital and sedated - those lessons took a long time to get through.

As regards your recovery and recuperation, follow doctor's orders. Do not rush your healing. I cannot and will not suggest how to manage your healing. That is highly individualistic and doctor-controlled. If you need a cane while recuperating - use a cane.

While on Camino, you will use hiking poles - or you should do - especially after an ankle problem. These give you a four-point stance, like having four-wheel drive on a car. Your balance, and ability to cover uneven terrain, is much improved and your confidence is similarly enhanced. It is also a great exercise for your upper body muscle groups.

However, at 68, I find that I do not bounce back as quickly as I did at 40. As we say in Spanish "poco a poco - little by little." My corollary on this is to relax and take the time to come back properly and strongly - Santiago will be there waiting for your eventual return - whenever that might be.

If your ankle remains weak into the cooler months and next year, consider walking a Camino route that has mochila delivery service. The Frances and Portuguese excel in this support service. You can also send your rucksack ahead daily using the Correos (post office). There are many threads in the Forum that cover this. So, I will not address it directly.

Alternatively, you can split your gear into three groups. Items you carry in a small day pack, and the remaining stuff, split evenly into your daughter's rucksacks. You only carry your documents, money credit cards, electronics, medications, and items you need for the day's walk. Don't forget your sun and rain protection.

Your daughters carry everything else. If you are walking together and not split up for very long distances, common use items like first aid, toilet supplies, extra water, etc., can be carried by the others - the girls. There is no need for a group of three people walking together to carry three first aid kits, field sanitation supplies, extra water, etc. As you figure out what you need to take - and that is also a worthwhile diversion during your enforced layoff - you can refine how you can split your gear. I use Microsoft Excel to build a packing list and a postal scale to weigh EVERYTHING.

I wish you Buen Camino! You might also enjoy reading my Camino stories, published on Amazon / Kindle - see the reference in my signature - below.

I hope this helps in some small way.

Tom

 

[Christine Leneghan]

Christine:

I, too, recently survived a very serious abdominal infection (acute necrotizing pancreatitis) as a consequence of having my gall bladder removed in early February. My survival was actually in doubt for a short time, as I progressed through several courses of IB antibiotics while an inpatient in hospital - four times.

From March through now, I have been recovering. Over that time, as soon as I was mentally and physically able to focus on anything, I returned to doing research on the Camino. Planning your next pilgrimage foray is the best mental cure for being sidelined. Having something to look forward to is an excellent curative. It increases your motivation.

This forum is an excellent place to resolve questions and problems you might face. Many times, I find the Forum provides hints for additional interest research. For example, You Tube is a valuable place to spend time too. Many times, videos will be referenced in this Forum.

I read through the Forum, keeping current on issues and concerns. This was very important during a time of pandemic, as things changed fast.

Also, I read four Spanish newspapers daily:

El Correo Gallego (Galicia and Santiago) - https://www.elcorreogallego.es/santiago
La Voz de Galicia (Galicia and Santiago) - https://www.lavozdegalicia.es/santiago/
El Mundo (National) - https://www.elmundo.es/
El Pais (National) - https://elpais.com/

As I use Chrome as my browser, pages in Spanish are automatically translated.

I also keep current by reading The Local - Spain (https://www.thelocal.es/). This is focused mostly on the ex-pat community, but provides a lot of useful information that might not appear elsewhere.

Finally, I have been using www.Duolingo.com to self-teach myself Spanish for 1300 continuous days with no interruption, even while I was in hospital and sedated - those lessons took a long time to get through.

As regards your recovery and recuperation, follow doctor's orders. Do not rush your healing. I cannot and will not suggest how to manage your healing. That is highly individualistic and doctor-controlled. If you need a cane while recuperating - use a cane.

While on Camino, you will use hiking poles - or you should do - especially after an ankle problem. These give you a four-point stance, like having four-wheel drive on a car. Your balance, and ability to cover uneven terrain, is much improved and your confidence is similarly enhanced. It is also a great exercise for your upper body muscle groups.

However, at 68, I find that I do not bounce back as quickly as I did at 40. As we say in Spanish "poco a poco - little by little." My corollary on this is to relax and take the time to come back properly and strongly - Santiago will be there waiting for your eventual return - whenever that might be.

If your ankle remains weak into the cooler months and next year, consider walking a Camino route that has mochila delivery service. The Frances and Portuguese excel in this support service. You can also send your rucksack ahead daily using the Correos (post office). There are many threads in the Forum that cover this. So, I will not address it directly.

Alternatively, you can split your gear into three groups. Items you carry in a small day pack, and the remaining stuff, split evenly into your daughter's rucksacks. You only carry your documents, money credit cards, electronics, medications, and items you need for the day's walk. Don't forget your sun and rain protection.

Your daughters carry everything else. If you are walking together and not split up for very long distances, common use items like first aid, toilet supplies, extra water, etc., can be carried by the others - the girls. There is no need for a group of three people walking together to carry three first aid kits, field sanitation supplies, extra water, etc. As you figure out what you need to take - and that is also a worthwhile diversion during your enforced layoff - you can refine how you can split your gear. I use Microsoft Excel to build a packing list and a postal scale to weigh EVERYTHING.

I wish you Buen Camino! You might also enjoy reading my Camino stories, published on Amazon / Kindle - see the reference in my signature - below.

I hope this helps in some small way.

Tom

Tom, thank you for your response. I’m glad you are healing and are planning to make your Camino. You gave me solid suggestions which will help me over the coming months. I especially appreciate the newspapers and Duolingo ideas. I do follow many on YouTube and I will continue to do so. My daughters have both suggested the backpack suggestions! I know we will eventually figure everything out, and it is comforting to hear strategies and common sense from others such as you in this community. I wish you health and ultreia!

 

[Smallest_Sparrow]

I am healing from a broken ankle ten days ago and surgery four days ago. I know this will be a long journey. My daughters and I did the French way in 2018 and Portuguese Coastal in 2019. We were planning on returning in 2022 for a third, but might have to further postpone for me to regain strength, etc… I would very much appreciate any suggestions, stories, encouragement on dealing with this. Thanks to all on this forum for keeping my spirits lifted and hope alive!

Wishing you a speedy recovery and many future Caminos. When you start PT be sure to mention to your therapist your goals of walking the Camino and what that entails—they can help you not only regain strength and movement for daily activities but also tailor your plan toward a return to the Camino.
get well soon!

 

[Christine Leneghan]

Wishing you a speedy recovery and many future Caminos. When you start PT be sure to mention to your therapist your goals of walking the Camino and what that entails—they can help you not only regain strength and movement for daily activities but also tailor your plan toward a return to the Camino.
get well soon!

I met with the PT the morning after surgery and started crying when talking about the Camino! He was very encouraging and said well, there is your goal! Thank you for your kind wishes!

 

[Crosscheck]

I broke my Tibial Plateau and got compartment syndrome in November of 2015 and cycled the CP in September of 2016. After surgery I could not walk for two months but I was riding a stationary bicycle three times a week in PT. I transitioned to a real bike when I could and rode about 2500 miles between my accident and my cycling camino.

My accident set me back in some ways but opened up opportunities in other ways. I resumed commuting to work on a bike and three days a week I met friends for after-work rides. The recovery of my leg through cycling became my priority. I could walk but it took a long time to be able to walk a distance but I could ride a bike anywhere I wanted to much earlier.

My accident was on the job so after a year or so the doctor for worker's compensation and the State of California declared that I am 25% permanently disabled. I have still have aches and pains and some swelling at times but I work full-time outdoors all winter and then go walk the entire CF on a fast schedule and beyond. So far I consider myself to be 0% disabled but the doctor said I will eventually have a number of joint problems.

The PT was a nice time for me as well. I liked the workouts and treatments then after that I got the ice and electric stim treatment while kicking back and chatting with other patients about our sports and injuries. It was time to focus on myself which is an infrequent event for me. I been to PT five different times and all were positive.

Have a nice time while focusing on getting strong again and getting back on the trails and doing other activities!

 

[Christine Leneghan]

I broke my Tibial Plateau and got compartment syndrome in November of 2015 and cycled the CP in September of 2016. After surgery I could not walk for two months but I was riding a stationary bicycle three times a week in PT. I transitioned to a real bike when I could and rode about 2500 miles between my accident and my cycling camino.

My accident set me back in some ways but opened up opportunities in other ways. I resumed commuting to work on a bike and three days a week I met friends for after-work rides. The recovery of my leg through cycling became my priority. I could walk but it took a long time to be able to walk a distance but I could ride a bike anywhere I wanted to much earlier.

My accident was on the job so after a year or so the doctor for worker's compensation and the State of California declared that I am 25% permanently disabled. I have still have aches and pains and some swelling at times but I work full-time outdoors all winter and then go walk the entire CF on a fast schedule and beyond. So far I consider myself to be 0% disabled but the doctor said I will eventually have a number of joint problems.

The PT was a nice time for me as well. I liked the workouts and treatments then after that I got the ice and electric stim treatment while kicking back and chatting with other patients about our sports and injuries. It was time to focus on myself which is an infrequent event for me. I been to PT five different times and all were positive.

Have a nice time while focusing on getting strong again and getting back on the trails and doing other activities!

I am definitely getting much needed advice and support from this community!

 

[t2andreo]

That is what we are here for - to help.